Cursed Angel
by AngeloftheShining
Summary: Hikari Koboyashi has a secret that goes along with the Zodiac Curse, but what is it exactly? Who is the man from her past that is determined to ruin everything she's ever held dear? Is this love triangle really necessary! KyoXOCXAkito
1. Chapter 1: Rescues and Confusions

As a disclaimer, I don't own any original Fruits Basket characters, only my OC's.

Also, as a little note, this happens after the end of the anime, with a bit of a twist to the end. For example, Tohru doesn't come back, and she has moved out of Shigure's house.

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**Chapter One: Rescues and Confusions**

A sleepy teenager slams her hand down onto her alarm clock. "Stupid alarm, stupid morning, stupid everything," She mumbles, as she sits up in bed. She's not a morning person. She slowly gets up, takes a quick shower, then puts on her training clothes. She then places her school uniform in her bag and heads out the door. Before leaving she takes a look in the mirror by the door and frowns at the image before her. Hikari Koboyashi looks at her reflection in disdain. Her long dark turquoise hair coming to her waist, now tied up by a single black ribbon, would usually frame her round, pale-skinned face. Her cerulean eyes have no shine in them as a normal 15 year old girl's would.

She then looks away and walks out the door, locking it behind her. 'No use looking at something that'll never change.' She reasons with herself as she walks to the elevator, playing with the pendant around her neck, as was her habit. Once she reached the exit of her apartment complex, Hikari takes off down the sidewalk for her usual morning jog. Her mind ponders on how her day will go and dreading the later meeting with a certain head of a certain family. She rolls her eyes at the thought. 'I wonder what he wants today...' She passes by parents saying goodbye to their children as they walk off to school, and her heart hurts slightly, the yearning for a family like that rearing its head again. She just pushes it back and continues to run.

After her run she walks to school, early as usual and uses the shower to get ready for the long day ahead of her. Once she's ready, she straightens her knee-length skirt and buttons up the shirt. She looks at her reflection again, her eyes still containing no shine. She walks out of the locker room and down the hallway, head down as usual. This causes her to bump into someone, and she falls to the ground.

"Ooof. Ouch..." She mumbles, looking up at whoever it was she bumped into. She stares into the eyes of the Prince of her high school, Yuki Sohma.

"Oh, Ms. Koboyashi, I'm dreadfully sorry. I should watch where I'm walking next time." He says smoothly, his usual keep-people-at-a-six-foot-distance attitude apparent. He reaches down and offers a hand. "Let me help you..." Hikari accepts the hand and straightens her skirt and shirt again, rubbing her backside slightly. "No, Sohma-kun, was my fault for looking down. My apologies." She nods her head slightly, then brushes past him, a light blush on her cheeks. 'Why didn't I feel anything when I bumped into him...' she wonders as she walks into her classroom. Little did she know that he was wondering along the same lines as her.

After she finishes this thought, however, she bumps into someone yet again, since she was looking at the floor, yet again, and also in deep thought. Before she falls, the person has her in his embrace.

"Hikari, babe, how nice it is to see and hold you again." Says a deep male voice, rather smugly. She looks up in horror and see her ex, Yukio Ichiro. Strangely enough, he was the only male that she could actually touch without feeling pain. This caused her not only to befriend him in junior high, but they had also fallen in love, or so she was meant to believe...

"Ichiro. Let me go." she says coldly, struggling in his grip. "Aw, now don't be that way. Last I recall, you were head-over-heels in love with me." He says, twirling a piece of her hair inbetween his fingers. "That was before. You've lost all trust, emotion, and passion I've EVER felt for you, Ichiro. Now, let. Me. Go." She states, struggling even more now.

Now, from what she had experienced, Yukio gets a nasty temper when he either doesn't get what he wants, or things don't go his way. He wasn't named Yukio, which means "gets what he wants" for no reason. This becomes apparent when he slams Hikari up against the wall. She trys not to wince, but it was hard, considering she had just fallen to the floor a while ago.

Suddenly, he leans in closely, and comes to where his lips are barely touching hers and whispers, "Listen up. I always get what I want. Right now, that'd be you, sweet-cheeks. So you are going to be cooperative. Besides, you know that I'm a whole lot stronger than you." She does't stand for this. She then yells, "I said, Let. Me. GO!" However, as she screams, he crushes his lips onto hers in order to silence her. She couldn't take this, the kiss was bringing back really bad memories and she could practically feel her pendant start to glow. Suddenly, someone taps Yukio on the shoulder. Yukio turns around to see a rather pissed off, but familiar looking red-head.

"You're god-forsaken fighting has woken me up, and besides, I believe that the lady said for you to let go. Now, in your best interests, I suggest you letting her go, before I'm forced to do something....drastic." the red-head says, balling his hand in a fist, his red eyes blazing. All this seems to do is amuse Yukio. With Hikari still in his arms, he turns to the red-head and smirks. He then says, "What is a guy like you gonna do, yell until I go deaf?"

In return, all this seems to do is piss the red-head off. "The name is Kyo, and I'm gonna do a lot more than just yell at you!" And before Hikari can blink, Yukio is on the ground, and since she was in Yukio's arms, and Kyo was right in front of them, I fall into Kyo's arms. She squeezes her eyes shut, preparing for the sharp, burning sensation, but it never comes. She opens her eyes slowly and look up with a shocked look, only meeting Kyo's own shocked face. What surprised her the most, however, was the sadness, rejection, and depression she saw in his eyes. Yukio then stirs, and and sees her in Kyo's arms. This pisses him off to no end.

"This isn't over, moron! I won't let anyone embarrass me like that in front of Hikari!" and with that he runs to boys restroom, nursing a bloody-nose. She is, however, still looking at Kyo in shock. Suddenly, a blush crawls over Kyo's cheeks and he shoves Hikari away from him, thus, causing her to fall to the floor, again.

'Damn. Twice in one day, and not the falling on the floor thing, either...' she thinks as she looks up at Kyo, a look of rejection fleeting across her face before forcing it away.

'What did I expect, no one loves the Cursed Angel.' she thinks dejectedly. Suddenly, a familiar hand is in front of her face. She looks up and sees Yuki, yet again offering his hand to help her up. She doesn't accept his hand this time and stands up on her own. Yuki then shifts his attention to a now blushing Kyo.

"Way to go, you stupid cat. Now you've upset Koboyashi-san."

"Don't call me that you damn rat! I just saved her ass!"

'Rat? Cat? Kyo? Yuki? This can't be....they can't be....' She thinks, frantically. Then it dawns on her and she runs out the doors, heading for the park, the only place she could feel a sense of peace, and with only one thing on her mind...

'What the heck is going on?!'


	2. Chapter 2: Questions and Reactions

Again, as a disclaimer, I don't own Fruits Basket, only my OC's and supporting characters.

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**Chapter 2: Questions and Reactions**

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As Hikari dashes out of the school, mind ablaze, she's unaware of the confusion she has left behind.

"Well, what the hell was that about?" Kyo asks, calmed down now.

"How should I know? She seemed to have reacted to when we called each other 'Rat' and 'Cat'." Yuki states.

"Think we should go check it out?" Kyo asks, already walking ahead, not caring if Yuki came or not.

"Whatever." Yuki answers.

'What I want to know is why both Kyo and me could embrace her.' Yuki thinks walking behind Kyo towards the place where Hikari dashed off to.

Meanwhile, with a certain distraught teenage girl...

Hikari arrives to the park and seeks out her favorite spot. A clearing in the woods, if one could call it that, that had a small stream running through it.

She collapses onto a large rock that sits beside a stream. Questions and memories blaze through her head. Unknown to Hikari, however, she was followed, not only by Yuki and Kyo, but also by a beloved friend.

"Hikari, are you OK?" comes a deep voice from behind me.

She turns around and sees Hatsuharu standing behind her. Yukio wasn't the only one who could touch her, Haru can too, but how she didn't know, she had a feeling she didn't want to ask.

"Haru!" She cries, finally letting the tears fall. She hadn't cried in the longest time, the memory of sher last cry was still branded deep into her brain...

_A ten-year-old Hikari was walking slowly down a hallway to a dark room, a two-toned nine-year-old, and a dark-haired 21 year old beside her._

_"Hatori-san, did Akito-sama say why he wanted me?" she asks the doctor for the Sohma's._

_"No, Hikari, he didn't." the man answers, rather reluctantly._

_The group arrived at the dark room and Hatori opens the door, and looks to the nine-year-old._

_"Akito only wants Hikari and me to go in." he says, directing an apologetic look towards the nine-year-old. The nine-year-old looks to the floor sad. Suddenly his head is raised by Hikari's words._

_"Don't worry, Haru-kun! I'll probably come out safely!" she says with hope, not knowing the doom that was past that doorway._

That day had been the worst ever. She was forced to leave the Sohma estate. Akito wanted her memory erased of everyone, but somehow, vague memorys of every Sohma were still existant, and she hadn't forgotten Hatori, Shigure, Ayame, or Haru at all, for some strange reason. Today she was actually being forced to move back into the Main House. Akito's orders.

"Haru, its them isn't it? The Yuki and Kyo at school is them isn't it?" she asks, looking at him forlornly.

"Hai, Hikaru. They are." He says, hugging her. Suddenly they hear voices and footsteps coming towards them.

"They're coming, Hikaru, don't worry, I'll be right here." Haru says, letting her go and standing beside her. The voices get louder and she could make out words now.

"Of course she came this way, damn rat! I have a good sense of direction." Kyo's voice yells. A calmer voice responds.

"I never said that you didn't." Yuki replys. Then they appear out of the trees into the clearing. They stare at the scene in front of them.

"Haru? What are you doing here?" Yuki asks, now at Hikari's side immediately. Haru doesn't respond. Suddenly, a small voice reaches his ears.

"Yuki? Kyo? Is it really you?" Hikari asks, looking up at them, now standing behind Haru.

This simple question effects the two boys drastically...

From Yuki's point-of-view:

When Hikaru says this, it sends Yuki's mind into a frenzy. 'Is it really me, what is she talking about?' He looks her over, up and down, trying to remember where he's heard that voice before. Suddenly, it hits him. Memories of a little gray haired boy and turquoise haired little girl playing in the gardens of the Sohma estate, memories of a 10 year old Hikari looking at him strangely when he came up to her that fateful day. The day Akito took his best-friend Hikari away from him, seemingly forever. Yuki can't hold it in anymore.

"Hikari!" I exclaim, rushing to her and embracing her, the same time as Kyo.

From Kyo's point-of-view:

When Hikaru says 'Is it really you?' memories start to frantically run through Kyo's mind. Memories of a 5 year old, turquoise haired girl reaching out her hand to him when all the other children used to exclude him from their play. Two nine year olds embracing after he transformed into his 'other' side for the first time. She had accepted that side from the start, unlike a certain air-head who never showed her face again... Kyo suddenly can't keep his feelings in any longer and yells,"Hikari!" rushing over to her and embracing her, the same time as Yuki, tears of joy coursing down his cheeks.

Tears of joy are also flowing down Hikari's cheeks, as she embraces her best friends from so long ago. It had been so long since she could hug them. Suddenly the reason why she could hit her like a ton of bricks. She pulls away suddenly, and looks away from them.

"Hikari, what's the matter?" Yuki asks, concerned.

"I never told you guys why I could hold you without you guys transforming, did I?" She states more than asks, still looking away from them.

"Come to think of it, you haven't even told me, Hikari." Haru says.

"Well, I guess now is a good a time as ever, huh?" she says, looking back at them, fresh tears in her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3: Explanations and Meetings

Okay, same disclaimer as before.

Also, I'm revising this story after digging it up from two years ago, so sorry if it seems a bit...choppy.

I'm finding that my writing style has changed, so I'm kinda switching things out and putting new things in. ^_^;;

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**Chapter 3: Explanations and Meetings**

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Hikari looks at them with sad eyes. As she tries to think of how she's going to word her explanation, she tells them to sit down. They all sit around in a semi-cirle.

"Tell us what's wrong, Hikari." Haru says, concern showing in his voice.

"Ok, I'm going to tell you, but I'm not going to stop, so ask questions afterwords. Ok?" She says, looking at each one of them. They nod their heads 'yes' so she continues.

"I'm going to assume you all never heard of the Cursed Angel? When God was organizing the banquet, there was one main Angel who was his...assistant...to put it nicely. She basically did God's bidding and was not allowed to go against his orders. The reason the whole ordeal happened with the cat, was because the Angel and the Cat were having an affair behind God's back. This angered God so much that he put a curse on both of them, the Cat was to be rejected by those he loved, and the Angel was to never feel the warmth of another's embrace ever again. However, there was an outsider who sacrificed something dear so that he too could embrace the Angel, for reasons I was never told of. The point of this story is this, I am the Cursed Angel. When I come into contact with a male, I feel this intense, burning sensation. It pretty much feels like a thousand pins being pierced into my skin. Heh, I even have the wings to prove it." She finishes. They all look at her with wide eyes. "Any questions?" She asks.

"Yes, Hikari, what do your wings look like?" Yuki asks.

"I'll show you." She responds, slowly slipping off the chain that held the pendant. Suddenly two huge black angel-like wings appear, tearign out of her back and ripping her shirt in a couple of places. The wings are a glossy black and had a few random silver feathers here and there, aside from the blood that was from the gashes on her back.

"Wow, they're beautiful." Haru exclaims quietly.

"I suppose. But I'm never to take off my pendant, or else my wings will appear instantly." She says, lightly caressing her wings.

"Oh, Hikari, I've got a question." Kyo states. "If you're supposed to 'assist' the 'God', then what is it exactly that you do..."

At this question Hikari pales deathly white. She wasn't expecting this question so soon...

"As I said before...I'm to do the God's bidding, no matter what it is that he requests..." She looks to the ground after answering.

"But Hikari, that means..." Haru starts.

"Yes Haru, I know what that means." Anguish, pain, and fear were the only emotions detectable in her voice. She then quickly gets up and runs back to the Estate, but only after telling them that Akito was expecting her. She apparently decided to skip school today. She then disappears, leaving the boys to think over all the things she said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Akito paces back and forth in his room, the door to the porch, where he usually sits and broods, closed. He is also mumbling to himself, wondering where a certain 'Cursed Angel' is.

"Where the hell is she?! I told her to come here before school!" He yells to no one in particular. Suddenly, there's a light knock at his door. He smirks, knowing of only one person who knocks that lightly.

"Hikari-chan, come in, come in. You're late you know." He says, looking down on her, seeing her trembling slightly, tear-stains on her cheeks.

"I-i'm sorry, Akito-sama. I-i ran into s-some trouble on m-my way home." she says, the trembling increasing with her effort to hold in her tears. This sight saddens him, for some reason, and the ever-cold Akito suddenly feelsthis unfamiliar feeling come over him and causes him to act involuntarily. On impulse of this feeling, he embraces her, and she starts to sob into his chest.

"Sh, Hikari-chan, I'm here." The tenderness in his voice surprised even him. Hikari seemed surprised herself. He lets her go, seeing as she had stopped crying.

"I took the liberty of having Hatori and Shigure moving all your stuff into the room beside mine. You don't have very many belongings, or clothes for that matter. I'm sending Momiji, Haru, and you out tomorrow so you can get some more..suitable clothes. Only so you can perform your 'duties' in a more pleasing manner." He then says, dismissing her.

"Yes, Akito-sama." She answers dejectedly.

"Now, now Hikari. Smile. You might be nicknamed the 'Cursed Angel', but that is no excuse not to smile...besides, your acting scared offends me. You may go." He says, shocking himself even more so with his kindness. _'I must be getting sick again. Yes, that's it. I'm feeling sick and just don't have the energy to be myself.' _He reasons with himself as he watches Hikari walk out of his room.


	4. Chapter 4: Shopping and an Old Friend

Ok, so on the summary I couldn't fit this but there's a bit of one-sided HaruXOC in this, but that's it as far as couples go.

I don't want to make Hikari into too much of a Mary Sue...even though I think I already did. o

Same disclaimer as the prior chapters.

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**Chapter 4: Shopping and an Old Friend**

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"Wake up, Hikari! Wake up!"

Hikari's awakened by a small body jumping on top of her. She opens her eyes to greet large brown eyes. As result, she falls off the bed in surprise.

"Gah! Momiji! Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry, Hikari-chan, I'm just so excited about going shopping!" Momiji exclaims, jumping off her bed and running into the hallway.

'Where does that boy get his energy?' She asks herself, getting out of bed and starting her usual morning routine. As she brushes her hair, she thinks back to last night, pondering on why Akito was so nice. It was surprising to put 'Akito' and 'nice' in the same sentence. She slips on her clothes for the day and walks out into the hallway where Momiji and Haru are waiting for her.

"Took you long enough! Let's go eat breakfast so we can go!" Momiji shouts grabbing her arm and pulling her towards the kitchen.

~*~*~*~*~

'I really hate this place.' She thinks looking at all the different shops.

"Hikari, I bet you wanna go to Hot Topic, don't you?" Momiji exclaims, smiling up at her.

"You know me so _well_, Momiji." She replies, rather sarcastically.

"Well, Haru can go with you while I meet up with one of my friends from school, ok?" Momiji asks, running off before the two remaining shoppers could answer. Haru and Hikari just look at each other, Haru slightly blushes, and he takes her hand and silently pulls her towards Hot Topic.

"Akito-sama says you need a new work dress." Haru says, pulling Hikari towards the back of the store.

"Oh, ok. Anything in-particular?" She asks, looking at all the beautiful dresses. Haru shakes his head 'no' and walks away saying, "Come and get me when you're done." He then heads over to the guys section while leaving Hikari to stare blankly at the wall fulll of dresses, suddenly, there's a voice behind her.

"Do you need some help, miss?"

She turns around and the man standing in front of her made her jaw drop slightly. He was gorgeous! Black spiked hair that looked like Dark's from DNAngel, one of Hikari's favorite animes, with red tips. Beautiful blue eyes. Two earrings in each ear's cartilage. He wore black baggy jeans and a MCR T-shirt that looked pretty worn out. Strangly though, he looked a lot like Yukio.

"Uh, hi. Yes I need some help. I really don't know what I'm looking for." She replies, coming out of her daze. "What is your name, I'm Hikari."

"Hikari! I knew you looked familiar! I'm Kyoshi, you know, Yukio's twin brother!" He exclaims, hugging her. She tenses up, waiting for the pain to come. When it doesn't she relaxes and lets him hug her. _'He must be just like Yukio in the sense of being the "outsider". His hug is alot warmer than Yukio's was, though...'_ She thinks to herself.

After some help from Kyoshi, Hikari finally gets what she needed. As she starts walking out the door, Kyoshi calls out her name.

"Uh, Hikari. I konw that you and my brother, uh, broke up, and I was, um, wondering, if I could, um, have your number? You know, so we could talk?" He asks quickly, a deep blush creeping up his face.

"Oh sure, here you go." She says, taking out a piece of paper and writing down her cell number on it. "That's my cell, I don't use my house phone."

"Thanks, Hikari! It was a pleasure helping you out." He says, kissing her quickly on the cheek and walking back into the store.

'Whoa.' She thinks as she holds the cheek he just kissed. As she walks to the meeting place, she notices Haru standing there with a Hot Topic bag in his hand, and Momiji standing next to him with Dippin' Dots in his.

"Ok, guys. Let's go home!" She exclaims, glad that she could get away from the crowded mall. As they draw closer to the Sohma Estate, Hikari suddenly feels something cool and soft slide itself along her neck as someone fastens it. She glances down, both startled and surprised to see that it's a beautiful choker. She then turns around to see Haru there, blushing rather heavily.

"Thanks, Haru. But why'd you get it?" She asks, fingering the choker, which she noticed went along great with her pendant.

"I, uh, saw it and it reminded me of you." He answers, blushing more. She hugs him quickly and they start walking again. Once they enter the Sohma Estate, Momiji bounds off to wherever it is that he goes, and Hikari and Haru walk towards Hikari's room. As they walk inside the main building and are nearing Hikari's room, Haru stops and looks at Hikari.

"Hey Hikari, who was that guy you were talking to at Hot Topic?" Haru asks. As he asks she notices a slight tone of jealousy in his voice.

"Oh, Kyoshi? Just an old friend." She replies coyly, walking into her room and closing the door.


	5. Chapter 5: Akito's First Move

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fruits Basket or any of the characters of said show. I only own Hikari and the plotline. ^_^**

**Enjoy!**

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Akito's First Move

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The next day, Hikari woke up to the sound of a light knocking on her door. She could tell it was very early in the morning, since it was still dark outside. She then realized where she was, and why she was there.

"Oh no. I'm supposed to make Akito his breakfast!"

She starts to quietly rush around, making sure not to trip over everything. She then slips into the new dress she bought yesterday, which was a knee-length, black dress, similiar to a maid's dress, but a bit fancier. There was white lace that adorned the hem, and the neckline was low-cut. The perfect lolita dress, and Hikari knew that was Akito's preference when it came to her wardrobe.

She quickly ran the brush through her hair and looked in the mirror, then at the clock.

"Phew, I have just enough time to make him something."

With that, she walks out of her room and to the kitchen. However, when she walks into the kitchen, she sees Akito's breakfast already made and laid out on the tray. She looks up and sees Hatori reading the newspaper, an amused smirk on his face.

"Hatori...did you make it for me?" She asks, unsure.

He looks up at her, no reaction whatsoever to the outfit she was wearing, and nods. She smiles a grateful smile, bowing her head in thanks. She then grabs the tray carefully and walks towards Akito's room.

Once there, she knocks very lightly on the door, "Akito-sama, I have your breakfast ready. May I come in?" She doesn't get a reply.

"Akito-sama?"

She slides the door open quietly, peeking in. Akito was splayed out on his futon, still sleeping.

Hikari tip-toes inside, shutting the door quietly and walking over to him. Once she sets the tray down, she looks over at him, kneeling by his side, like she was instructed to do.

'He looks...so peaceful while he's sleeping.' She thinks while, for some reason unknown reason, she reaches over and goes to tuck some stray hair behind his ear. 'Almost angeli...'

Before she finish her thought, something grasped her wrist, tossing her onto the futon. With wide eyes she looks up and sees Akito, no longer sleeping but laying over her, a smirk on his face.

"Why good morning, Hikari-chan. So nice of you to bring me my breakfast this morning, however..." He leans down to whisper in her ear. "I'm not hungry for food, and I must say, this dress is a definite improvement." As he is saying this, he's fingering the buttons on the back of her dress.

"T-thank you, Akito-sama. I'm glad it suits your t-tastes." She says, still getting over the initial shock of being moved so quickly. Then the situation dawned on her and she knows what is coming next. Then, the light in her eyes seemingly dies out as she steels herself for what is going to happen. "I'm yours to do w-with as you please, Akito-sama."

At this he smirks, lust apparent in his eyes. "Don't worry, my little angel, I'll be done in time for school." He taunts as he slips off her upper garment.

**------------------**

Hikari could now be found walking to school, Momiji and Haru on either side of her. Momiji looks up at her, a worried look on his face. Her eyes were still haunted and she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing, thus why she had tripped five times on their way to school, which just wasn't like her at all.

"Kari-chan? Are you alright? Kari-chan?" Momiji tries to communicate with her, but it's no use, she wasn't responding. Suddenly, Haru snaps, making her stop and pressing her against a stone wall they were conveniently passing.

"Hikari! Snap out of it!" Black Haru yells.

Hikari looks up at Haru, eyes no longer haunted, but glossy, a curtain of unshed tears vieling her eyes.

"Oh, H-haru...A-akito...he...he" She doesn't get much more out before she completely collapses against Haru, sobbing uncontrolably. Haru just looks down at her sadly, stroking her hair, back to his white self again.

After a few minutes, and questioning looks from passer-bys, Hikari pulls away, looking down, her bangs conveniently covering her eyes. "Sorry, Haru...I'll see you at school." She then rushes off, not saying another word.

**-----------------**

Hikari, later, could be found sitting in the classroom around lunchtime, her bento just sitting on the desk in front of her, as she stares out the window. Her mind off somewhere far away, and because of this, she doesn't hear Kyo or Yuki talking to her.

"Hey! Hikari! What's with ignoring us, huh?" Came Kyo's loud voice as he sits on the front of her desk.

"Hikari-san, are you feeling ok?" Yuki's caring voice finally gets through to her, and she looks up at him, the haunted look on her face again.

"Yes, Yuki...just fine, and Kyo," she continues as she looks up at said cat-boy, "I'm sorry, I really didn't hear you." Her tone completely shocked them, very dull and no expression.

Kyo blinks, looking at her in surprise, Yuki doing the same.

"What the heck happened to you..."


	6. Chapter 6: Kimonos and Kisses

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Fruits Basket, but I do own Hikari and the plotline.**

-------------------------------------** Kimonos and Kisses **-----------------------------------

'Why do I even try?' Hikari thinks, staring at her reflection in the mirror in her room. She was wearing a kimono that Akito picked out for her. It was a soft black, with long sleeves, and red sakura petals in a pattern around the bottom of the kimono and the end of the sleeves. Since Hikari was rather small, the sleeves went about two feet below her hands. The obi was made out of red satin. She smoothes the fabric out and tries to smile, but it looks completely fake.

"Hikari-sama?" Hikari turns around to see a maid peeking into her room. "Hikari-sama, Akito would like to see you."

Hikari sighs and runs her brush through her turquoise locks one more time before walking to Akito's room. She knocks softly on the door and waits for Akito's permission to come in. She walks in, looking around and finds Akito sitting at the small table in the corner, and moves over to him.

"Please, Hikari, sit." Akito motions to the spot across from him. She nods and sits down, smoothing out her kimono once more. "I hear you had a good day at school." Hikari nods, her eyes downcast in respect.

"Yes, sir. I did." She says, hiding the depressed tone in her voice. "It seems I scored in the top five in the last exam."

"Good, good. I didn't expect anything less from you. Now Hikari, dear, you know that you are one of the rare people I let look at me while talking, so please do so." Akito drolls on, staring at Hikari, seemingly undressing her with his eyes.

"Yes, Akito-sama." Hikari replies, looking up at him. She smiles softly. "Thank you for the beautiful kimono, Akito-sama."

He just smiles in return, again looking her over. He then smirks and looks into her eyes, and Hikari can't help but resist a shudder. "It's look beautiful on you, Kari-chan, just like I knew it would."

At the sound of her childhood nickname, her eyes instinctively tear as she looks down slightly, her bangs hiding her eyes. "Akito-sama, please don't use that nickname."

"Oh but I think I will. It fits you." He says, reaching over and taking a lock of her hair and playing with it. "_Kari-chan_ you should smile more often, and make it a _real_ smile." He finishes, watching in pleasure as she flinches at the nickname. "Don't you have homework to do? Why don't you get it and do it in here." It was more an order rather than a suggestion."

"Hai, Akito-sama." She then stands up and bows before walking to her room, gathering her school things and then walking back in. She sees that Akito had moved to the side porch, his usual place, seemingly brooding again. She sighs softly, sitting down and pulling out her work.

While she was working, she could feel his eyes on her, and it made her skin crawl. 'I really wish he would stop staring at me. I can't concentrate.' She thinks to herself, staring at the math equation she had been working on for the past ten minutes. She jumped a bit when she heard a knock on the door and Hatori's voice on the other side. "Akito-sama, it's time for your daily exam."

"Come in, Hatori." Akito replies, then looking at Hikari. "_Kari-chan_, could you please leave us. You may take your stuff with you." She just nods in reply, quickly gathering her things and leaving, brushing past Hatori.

Once Hikari gets back to her room she finds herself staring at the mirror again, this time a sad look in her eyes. "Kari-chan..." she whispers, remembering who gave her that nickname.

_"Kari-chan! Come on in, dinner's ready!" A young woman calls out into her backyard._

_"Ok mom! Be right there!" says a five-year-old Hikari, a big smile on her face. She's holding something behind her back. "Momma! These are for you!" She says to her mother, holding up a little bouquet of flowers._

_"Oh, Kari-chan, they're beautiful! Let me just put these in a vase!" She then puts the flowers in a little vase and places it in the middle of the table. "Now go wash your hands and come and eat!"_

_---_

_"Oh, Kari-chan! Where could my little Kari-chan be?" Calls out a father, looking around his backyard. Suddenly, an eight-year-old Hikari jumps on his back, giggling. _

_"I'm right here, Daddy!" She giggles, as he takes her off of his back and flips her upside-down, spinning in a circle. "Hehe, Daddy, I'm getting dizzy!"_

_---_

_"Kari-chan...d-don't ever be afraid of A-akito. Be strong...my dearest, K-kari-chan..." Hikari's mother says to her, laying in Hikari's lap, covered in blood._

_"Mom! Don't leave me! I need you, Mom!"_

_"Kari-chan, don't c-cry...we'll always be with you...a-always..." Says her father weakly, laying next to her mother._

_"Daddy, no you too! Don't leave me you guys...I n-need you..." She starts sobbing as the life in both of her parents eyes dies out._

"Mom...Dad..." Hikari looks back up into the mirror, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Why'd you have to go..."

A knock at her door startles her out of her reverie. "O-one moment!" She quickly wipes her eyes, making sure she didn't look like she was crying and walks to the door. She is surprised to find Haru and Momiji at her door.

"Hey guys, what's up?" She says, hoping they didn't hear her crying a few minutes ago.

"We were wondering if...you could help us?" Momiji says cutely. "With our homework." Haru finishes, sheepishly looking at Momiji, since said boy was using the puppy-dog eyes. "Please, Hikari-chan? Pretty please?"

She sighs with a true smile on her face. 'What would I do without these boys.' She thinks as she grabs her bag she had discarded on her bed, that contained her half-finished homework. "Sure! I have to finish mine anyways. I'll meet you guys in the study, ok?"

"Okay! Thanks a bunch, Hikari!" Momiji says energetically, bounding down the hallway.

As she gathers her stuff she realizes that only one of them had left, and then the door closes. "Is there something you needed, Haru?" She asks, turning around, but then gasping as he is right behind her.

"Actually...yes." He says, looking anywhere but her at the moment.

"What's the matter, Haru? Something seems to be bothering you." She says, concern apparent in her voice.

Haru blushes and looks at her. "I-i just wanted to let you know that I'm always here for you. No matter what Akito does to you, or anyone for that matter, I will always be there to protect you, like you were for me so long ago...and...uh..." His face was beet-red as he trails off.

"And...?" She looks at him, a light blush on her face. She never had anyone say these things to her before, and she didn't know what to say.

"And...I...I'm saying this...because..." He stops hesitantly, then suddenly, she feels his lips on hers. Her eyes go wide as he pulls away. "I'm saying this because I like you...alot." And with that he was gone.

She lifts her fingers to her lips and the blush gets deeper. 'Oh dear...what have I gotten myself into...'


	7. Chapter 7: Invitations and Weaknesses

Hello everyone! It's been so long since I've last updated my story! I'm soooo sorry for the long wait, but I'm happy to announce that my writer's block is now gone! I'm going to use this time, no matter how short it might be, to progress this story. Hope you enjoy this latest chapter, and sorry if it's a bit choppy.

DISCLAIMER: I do NOT own Fruits Basket.

**Invitations and Weaknesses**

"So, Momiji, have you finished your paragraph yet?" Hikari asked, quizzing the little blonde. "Um…" A pleading look overcame his face. "C'mon, Hikari! I'm sure my grammar is all over the place!" He then proceeds to plop his forehead onto the desk.

"Haru-san finished a while ago, Momiji. Just write one more sentence and you'll be finished!" Hikari then smiles sweetly at him. _'Wow, with a smile like that, there's no way I can give up now!'_ Momiji thinks, looking at his notes again. "Okay…one more sentence! I can do this." Suddenly, his hand went zooming across the paper, and there were two more sentences. "Good job, Momiji! That was all you needed to do, and now you're done." Hikari chuckles at the look of relief that flashed across the younger boy's face.

"Yay! Now we can play!" Momiji, while exclaiming this, jumped up, forgetting that he still had his pencil in his hand, and it goes flying towards Haru, who was sleeping with his head on his arms on the other side of the table. _Plink!_ The pencil, after hitting him in the head, proceeds to fall onto the table and roll back towards Hikari. She couldn't help but giggle as Haru looks up sleepily and gazes at the two of them. Suddenly, Hikari blushes as the scene from earlier flashes across her mind. In order to avoid an awkward situation, she gathers her things quickly, her head down.

"Well, now that your homework is finished, I have to go to run errands. See you two later." With that, Hikari stands up from the table and walks towards her room. Momiji looks at Haru with a confused face. "Well, that was rather abrupt. Did something happen between you two?" Momiji had a small smirk on his face. He knew very well that something happened. He was standing outside the door waiting for them, after all.

Haru's cheeks flushed lightly before he furrows his eyebrows. "No, not really. I don't know what's up." Momiji gives him a "riiiight" look and just gathers his stuff.

Later, Hikari was browsing a thrift store in the town, mind not really focusing on the hat she had in her hands. "What am I going to do…things are awkward now between Haru and me." She mumbles lightly. Moving on, after placing the hat back on the shelf, she walked towards an item in the back. "Wow…" It was a silver shirt, the front having black swirls in a tribal looking pattern. On the back, a set of tribal wings was splayed across the entire shoulder blade area.

After purchasing the shirt, Hikari felt a little better. Suddenly, a smooth voice sounds from behind her. "Well hello there, Hikari-san. Fancy meeting you here." Looking up, turquoise eyes met grayish-purple eyes. "Hi there, Yuki-san. I'm just getting out of the main house, I needed some fresh air. What are you doing here?"

Yuki could tell that she had a lot on her mind, as did he. With an understanding smile, he responds, "Oh, pretty much doing the same. Getting away from Shigure and Kyo's antics." At the mention of the dog's name, Hikari's eyes lit up. "Shigure-sama? I haven't seen him in ages!" With a chuckle, Yuki throws his arm over her shoulders in a friendly fashion. "Why don't you stop by sometime? I'm sure a certain cat would love it if you stopped by."

At this, Hikari's cheeks flushed deep red. "Yuuuki! Kyo and I are just friends!" She insists, hiding the blush on her face. However, she couldn't stop the small, shy smile that came across her face. "Oh yes, Hikari-san, I'm sure you're just friends." Sensing the teasing sarcasm, Hikari's face suddenly became serious. "Besides, now that I've told you the background of this," She points to her pendant, "You now know that Kyo and I can be nothing more than friends." She couldn't help the sad tone in her voice.

With a wink, Yuki walks ahead a bit. "While that might be true, why don't you stop by after school tomorrow?" The offer brought a brighter look onto Hikari's face, although not a smile. "Count on me being there," was her response. _'If I can get Akito to let me, this is.'_

"Okay…I can do this." Hikari was pacing in front of her mirror in her room. It was the next morning, and she was readying herself to talk to Akito before school. She was wearing her school uniform, and she had woken up early to make herself look pretty for him. She was willing to do anything to see the man who was like a brother to her. _'Hold on, Shigure-sama, I'm –going- to visit you today!'_

Now at Akito's door, she knocks softly. _Knock knock!_ "Who is it?" Came a mellow, but slightly irritated voice. _'Okay, he sounds like he just woke up, good.'_ "It's Hi.. Kari-chan, Akito-sama. I've brought your breakfast." She was surprised at her cheery voice. Maybe she wanted to see more than just Shigure, but she wasn't going to admit to that. She felt a certain loyalty towards Akito. "Ah, Kari-chan, come in." Suddenly his voice had become smooth and less irritated.

Opening the door, Hikari quickly moved into the room. After gently placing down the tray with food and tea for Akito, she quickly pores him a cup of tea and kneels at the table across from him. She tried not to act too suspicious.

"How did you sleep, Akito-sama?" She decided it was safe to start with pleasant, simple conversation. Akito reaches over and begins twirling a lock of hair between his fingers. "A bit better than usual, Kari-chan. I feel especially better now since you are the first face I see this morning."

Hikari was slightly taken aback from this comment. _'Akito almost sounded serious. I wonder if he really is feeling ok...'_ "U-um, thank you, Akito-sama." She smiles, showing gratitude. "Your hair is especially soft. Come here." Akito pats the spot next to him. "Yes sir." With that she gets up slowly and walks over to him, making sure not to misstep. One could never know what might set him off. As soon as she sits down, Akito starts running his fingers through her hair.

Suddenly, Hikari relaxes against him. '_No…Akito can't know one of my weak points!' _She thinks, sitting back up again. She can't see the smirk on Akito's face though as he stops. "So, don't you have to go to school soon? Was there something you needed?" Akito asks, turning her around to look at him.

"Oh yes! Um, I haven't seen a few friends in a while, do you think I could visit Shigure after school today? I'll be back tonight in time to talk with you before bed. Please?" She turns to look at Akito, expecting an angry face. Instead, to her surprise, she meets a smile. However, this smile was chilling because of the simple fact that it did not meet his eyes.

"Of course you may, _Kari-chan_. Just be sure not to come back too late. I wouldn't want to miss my _time_ with you." Suddenly, the smile morphed into a sinister smile, sending chills down Hikari's spine. She ignored that, however, happy to have his permission. She stands up and bows politely. "Thank you very much, Akito-sama." She smiles sweetly at him and quietly leaves.

"Hm…I found a very effective weakness of hers, a fair trade. Especially considering the fact of whom also lives with Shigure." With that stated, Akito's mouth turned into a deep frown, his mind wandering to the legend of the Cursed Angel. _'I will NOT let him win.'_


	8. Chapter 8: Storms and Cleaning Products

**Author's Note:** Oh my gosh it has been SO long since I've last updated this story! I'm so sorry to all of you who have been waiting for this chapter. Lately I've been reading ALOT of fanfiction, and one particular story got my writing blood flowing again, so without further ado, here is chapter 8! Please review, it'll help me with chapter 9, I promise.

Cursed Angel: Chapter 8

Storms and Cleaning Products

As Hikari walked outside, she frowned. The sky was rather overcast, and it looked like rain. _'I hope it does not rain. That is the last thing I need.'_ Humming softly, she walks down the sidewalk. _'I am actually rather surprised Akito said yes. Ugh, but he found out one of my weaknesses. I will have to be careful about that from now on.'_ As she walks through the entrance, Hikari tucks a piece of her fly-away hair and looks around the schoolyard. Spotting a familiar red-head, she gravitates her way towards the small group.

"Hikari-chan!" Came a high-pitched exclamation, and suddenly Hikari was glomped by a little, blonde rabbit. "Hello, Momiji. I am guessing you missed me?" She chuckles, ruffling his hair. She realized at that moment that she was in a considerably better mood than she had been in a while.

"Hai!" Came the response, followed by nuzzling. Hikari just pats the top of Momiji's head as she smiles at the rest of the Sohma boys. "Hey everyone," she greets. She looks at them all. _'It is just like old times. I never realized how much I missed this.'_ This time, the smile was genuine as it reached her turquoise eyes, making them shine.

"Hey, Momiji, when are you going to let her breath?" Kyo said, irritated that he was basically cuddling with Hikari in the middle of the schoolyard. They were obtaining some rather strange looks from students walking into the school. "Oh! Sorry, Hikari-chan!" Giggling, Hikari ruffles his hair one more time, pulling away from him. She had forgotten how nice a hug felt. She was sure they felt the same way.

"What is everyone up to? Isn't the bell about to ring?" She asks, tilting her head to the side. Yuki stepped forward while tilting his head to the side slightly, a smile on his face. "Well, we were waiting for you, Hikari-san."

Smiling, Hikari walks into the building, the boys following behind her. Once she enters her classroom, she could feel the glares from the "Prince Yuki" fan-club. She just throws a smile their way, throwing them all off-guard.

"Whoa, did she just smile?" Member number one asks, turning to number two.

"I think so…wow. She's kind of pretty…" Number two answers, staring after the three in awe. _'I guess even she can smile once in a while.'_

As the day goes by, Hikari found herself staring out the window, praying that the clouds wouldn't open up and pour before she got to Shigure's house today. She jumped as distant rumbling suddenly sounded. _'Oh god…'_ Finally, the final bell sounded as she stands up quickly. Turning to Yuki and Kyo, she walks up to them. "Hey, guess what?"

Looking up, Kyo and Yuki look at each other first, then back to her. "What?"

Grinning, she clasps her hands in front of her chest. "Akito has given me permission to stop by your house today!"

Yuki smiles knowingly as he bows his head in slight apology. "That is great, Miss Hikari, however I have student council things to take care of this evening, so I'll be going home later. I'm sure Kyo would happily escort you, though."

At the mention of his name, Kyo nods. "Sure. Let's go now, though, it looks like it's about to rain." He finishes his statement with a yawn. Nodding in agreement, Hikari grabs Kyo's hand. "Let's go!" She couldn't see the blush that fluttered across Kyo's face as she pulls him out of the room. Smiling to himself, Yuki gathers his things and walks towards the student council room.

Soon, Kyo and Hikari were walking down the sidewalk towards the house. The silence was slightly awkward until Kyo clears his throat. "So, uh, Hikari, how are things at the main house." He looks down at her, surprised to find the smile that had planted itself on her face all day was now replaced with a troubled frown. She sighs as she looks up at him, her eyes sad again.

"Things at the main house are…complicated." She carefully chooses her words, trying to smile sadly. She was so happy that she had some alone time with Kyo, but she wasn't planning on the first topic being the main house. "How are things at Shigure's?"

A shadow passes over Kyo's face but quickly disappears. "Things are fine, uneventful and boring mostly." He smiles lightly. He didn't want to tell Hikari about Tohru. He didn't want to think about Tohru. However, he can tell Hikari knows there's something wrong. She was always perceptive with things like that.

_BOOM!_ Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder sounds after a flash of lightning. With a yelp, Hikari wraps her arms around Kyo, her shoulders shaking. With a soft smile and deep blush, he places a hand on top of her soft hair. "You're still afraid of thunder, aren't you?" He asks softly. The only response given was a small nod. "Don't worry, you'll be okay. We're almost there." He takes her hand and guides her down the hill to Shigure's. "Look, there's the house."

Hikari smiles at Kyo, this was just like when they were little. She remembered clearly when there was this one particular storm that was terrible, and Kyo, ignoring how tired he was from the rain, stayed up with her, comforting her. Suddenly, she's broken from her reverie by a large body hugging her. "Shigure-sama!"

"Hikari-chan! It's been such a long time since I last saw you. Let me get a good look at you!" The writer backs away and looks at Hikari up and down, Hikari blushes lightly. "Wow, you've certainly grown a lot! You've gotten so beautiful! You're body has also….OW!" Before Shigure could make a perverted comment, Kyo hit him on the top of his head.

"Freakin' pervert…" He mumbled, irritation apparent on his face. Shigure chuckles, holding his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay. My bad."

Hikari just chuckled. _Still the same old Shigure._ She thinks. "So, Akito-sama said I could visit today, so I took total advantage of this rare opportunity." She smiles and hugs Shigure. Suddenly, another loud roll of thunder sounded and her grip on Shigure tightened as she yelps lightly. Shigure just chuckles and pats the top of Hikari's head. "Still scared of thunder, I see." She just nods with a sigh. "Sorry."

Once she had calmed down, Hikari sat her things down on the floor by the entrance and slipped off her shoes, sliding her small feet into spare pair of house shoes. Shigure hurried past her, checking on the state of their kitchen. With a sullen look, Shigure saunters out of the adjoining room and rubs the back of his neck. "I hope you weren't expecting tea or anything…I don't even know where the kettle is…" He smiles sheepishly. With a raised eyebrow, Hikari walks over to the doorway and the sight that meets her eyes is appalling.

"How in the world can you three function in this house?" Turning around slowly, Hikari takes in the state of the living area, hallway, kitchen and dining area. Dust was everywhere, as well as trash littering the floor in random places. She could only guess what the upstairs looked like. With a small squeak from a muted roll of thunder, she puts her hands on her hips, looking at them. "This place is filthy!"

Shigure could sense where this was going, and he wasn't going to stop her. Hey, if she wanted to clean his house, he wasn't going to protest, and it make even distract her from the storm. With his hands raised in surrender, he smirks. "Well, if you have a problem with it, dearest, the cleaning products are in the…"

Before he can finish, a voice comes from the doorway. "Shigure, I know you're not basically inviting our guest to clean, right?" Yuki's voice had a dark twinge to it, as he glowered at the dog. "I know you'd **never** be that rude." With a chuckle, Hikari smiles slightly at Yuki. "Glad to see you could make it before the rain, and I really don't mind, it might even help distract me, y'know from the stor-" BOOM! "Yikes!" Was the last thing Hikari said as she dove underneath the table. "M-maybe once the storm has passed…"

After an hour of heavy rain and thunder, the storm eventually passed over and Hikari was freed from her prison that was her phobia. As she was about to head in the direction of the cleaning products, which were just past the stairs and in a hall closet, she managed to bump into Kyo, who looked like he had just woken up from a nap. His hair was disheveled and his eyes droopy. "Well hello there, sleepy-head. Glad one of us can relax during a storm…" She jokes, walking past him and to the hall closet. "You're really gonna clean, aren't you?"

Looking over her shoulder at him, Hikari just smiles with a nod. "Whatever it takes to keep me from that house longer." She whispers for only his ears to hear. With an understanding nod, Kyo reaches out and ruffles her hair. "Don't over-due it." Was all he said as he walked past her. Humming softly, Hikari got to work cleaning up after the three men of the household. After two hours of hard work, she was finally done. "Shigure, Yuki, Kyo! I'm done! Come and look at your new kitchen!" She calls, already have a pot of tea ready and waiting. The three men come shuffling into the kitchen and Hikari smirks at the three intakes of breath. "I had forgotten what this room looked like. Oh Hikari! You're going to make such a cute wife someday!" Shigure gushed. Hikari could have sworn that she could see flowers around his head. "Oh hush." Was all she said, not quite knowing why she was blushing. Suddenly her eyes land on the clock, and they widen significantly. "Oh god, I'm supposed to be home by now!" Rushing over to the door, Hikari hastily starts putting on her shoes and gathering her things.

Still in the kitchen, Shigure looks pointedly over at Kyo. "What're you lookin' at, ya stupid dog?" Shigure just crosses his arms and looks in the direction that Hikari had hurried off to. "Oh…right…Hey, Hikari, I'll walk you there, it is getting kind of late." He saunters out of the room and Yuki looks at Shigure in surprise. "He sure did agree to that kind of quickly." Shigure just smiles knowingly and grins. "Yup, he sure did."


End file.
